Beauty Detox Solution: Beauty Energy
In chapter two of the The Beauty detox Solution Kimberly Synder marks that “our energy is more precious than all the gold in the world” and by this she means the energy in our body that allows us to function and live. In more relevant terms, MORE ENERGY= MORE BEAUTY! This is something all of us strive for and in this chapter we learn how to achieve just that. Synder argues that digestion is the key to eating your way to a better body as she and her clients have and I am sure that most of us want to eat as efficiently as possible so that our body can use energy to function as efficiently as possible. Kimberly uses the analogy of a wheel. She states, “when we are children, the wheel rolls along quickly and easily, and without obstruction,” but overtime waste starts to build up in our bodies and our wheels start to slow down and this is when we notice weight gain, aging, low energy, and sleepless nights. In other words, “Internal waste is like sludge in spokes of a wheel”. Synder marks that digestion is the key to having youthful radiant skin and lasting energy. We can accomplish this by following the “alkaline and acid principle” as well as the “80-20 rule”.
pH stands for power of hydrogen which reflects the concentration of hydrogen ions. This is representative if numbers ranging from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline). With 7 being neutral, our ideal blood pH is 7.365. In chapter 1 Snyder discusses the strong correlation between eating animal protein and disease and other illnesses. In this chapter we understand why this is so. Since our natural blood pH level is around 7 we must pair a highly acidic food with a highly alkaline foods. For example, when eating a highly acidic food such as animal protein, a great food pairing would be sprouts which is very alkaline. Since an acidic body tends to hold on to excess weight it makes it a lot harder to lose weight because the organs in body are overwhelmed and store the acidic toxins into fatty tissue all over the body. By digesting more foods that leave alkaline residue in the blood, our bodies can use excess energy to make new skin and hair cells to leave us looking beautiful with energy throughout our day.
TRX Sports Medicine Qualification
I recently attended the TRX Certified Sports Medicine class in San Francisco and was amazed at the different types of people that were taking the class with me as well. There were 23 people who attended the class from all over the world. There were people from Canada, Alaska, New York, Australia, Southern California and Northern California. I was one of the 3 locals from the bay area that attended. My trainer was Sydney and she is local Therapist from San Francisco and like my trainer before she is knowledgeable and passionate about what she does. I have to say that I was quite intimidated by the people around me -- almost 10 senior physical therapists, 10 orthopedic doctors and surgeons, and 2 personal trainers.
By becoming certified I am able to prescribe exercises that I believe will benefit individual clients of various fitness levels from athletes to older adults. I am able to help treat people with who are limited due to their injuries or joint pain and treat athletes who have been injured or who want to continue maintenance exercises to prevent further injuries. Although I was intimidated by all the professionals with multiple degrees and years of experience in their field, I found myself confident in my knowledge, skills, and abilities of the TRX suspension trainer. Since finding that I want to become a physical therapist I mainly wanted to sit back and watch how these doctors used the suspension trainers, communicated about the suspension trainers, and more importantly how they felt about various exercises while using the trainers. You can imagine 19 year old me in a room full of doctors-- very excited and anxious! Actually, instead of sitting back and observing, I was doing most of the talking. The majority of the course was done communicating in groups and shared a lot of knowledge with others, showed them tips and tricks about the suspension trainers such as ‘cheat moves’, cueing tools, and showing exercises that can be modified or progressed.
After taking this class I have become even more excited to embark on this new chapter in my life. I will be attending Eastern Michigan University this winter taking courses: Physiology, Anatomy and Intro to Athletic Training. After three years of the program I plan to graduate with a B.S in Athletic Training and move back to California to pursue a doctorates in PT while working with a high school, college or professional sports team.
Post 2: TRX versus CrossFit
Continuing from my last post I have clearly defined the pros and cons of each program:
CrossFit Cons:
1. Specificity
Webmd.com quotes CrossFit founder and former gymnast Greg Glassman “Our specialty is not specializing.” In other words, there is not specific goal, it’s a generalist. The workouts are not meant to target specific goals such as weight loss, muscle gain, toning, or firming up your buttocks, rather it can be seen as a total body workout.
This leads me to why CrossFitters do what they do. It simply comes down to competition--The CrossFit Games. Not many people are willing to climb a rope 50 meters tall just because they want to get in shape... I wouldn’t. But I would only do it if it meant bragging rights. And that’s what it really comes down to--bragging rights and that natural crave for competition.
3. Its a progression
There is no room for modification when it comes down to the workout-- remember its all about who can lift the most in the fastest time. A typical WOD will not have modification, although most gyms will provide bands and other equipment to help modify pull-ups, dips, box jumps, and a few other exercises, but when it comes down to power lifts there is no modification.
2. Cost
CrossFit is EXPENSIVE! Unless you have money to spend, then by all means join CrossFit, otherwise I urge that you work with a personal trainer and get your money’s worth. A typical CrossFit gym can cost you anywhere from $150 to $220 per month.
3. Injury
Crossfit marks their athletes with a particular attitude: “the fear of sporting failure is worse than the fear of death.” It is our observation that men will die for points. Using whiteboards as scoreboards, keeping accurate scores and records, running a clock, and precisely defining the rules and standards for performance, we not only motivate unprecedented output, but derive both relative and absolute metrics at every workout.” What this means to the average fitness goer is that he or she should be prepared to run on a clock. You will be expected to lift the heaviest amount you can for the entire workout without stopping. If you are not use to moving at a fast pace or educated with the movement you will encounter injuries. I am at 8 months recovery from my last injury (bone contusion) that I got from my last CrossFit workout … and trust me it is not fun being injured.
Before beginning CrossFit please please please be able to do these the following exercises successfully, properly, and safely as these movements will be the foundation of every WOD::
Squat, front squat, overhead squat, press, push press, push jerk, deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, medicine ball clean, bench press, GHD sit-ups, snatch, clean and jerk, handstand push-ups, kettlebell swing, pull-up, box jump, double-under, thruster, rowing on the C2, push ups, and burpees.
I think that’s all the basic movements so far and don’t be afraid to schedule appointments with personal trainers, after all, they are there to work with you and your specific needs.
CrossFit PROS:
HIIT:
CrossFit itself is defined as “constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity).” crossfit.com. What I have discovered about myself is that my body reacts best to weight loss when I am constantly moving at high intensity levels for a short duration of time. This is where I can use WODS. I believe this philosophy of high interval training is why the workouts are so successful for me.
TRX Pros:
Versatility:
The great thing about TRX bands is that you can adjust the intensity of an exercise by adjusting your body’s position to make the movement harder, easier, stable or unstable. You can do this a number of ways by moving your feet closer/farther to the anchor point, changing your base (feet together, apart, or split). These changes in intensity are all modification that can be done to individualize any workout.
Convenience:
TRX bands can be put up any where are light easy to travel with.
Cost:
Affordable compared to the amount is cost to be a part of a CrossFit gym. The cost of one of these bands is less than a the amount you would pay for a month at a CrossFit gym.
Durability:
Trx bands can be safely hold up to 350 pounds. The bands are pretty thick and have been remade throughout the years to improve durability. So the likeliness of falling on your buttocks due to the manufacturer is pretty slim.
Rehabilitation: A lot of exercises could be done or modified for those who are injured or are going through physical therapy such as myself. It also helps with stretching and achieving range of motion.
Education: Similarly to Insanity workouts, the TRX website has a lot of resources for people to from workout routines to music.
TRX Cons: The main pain is figuring out where to place your anchor point. The anchor point must be at least 6 to 9 feet. Trx does sell anchors that you can place inside at outside of your home but it is a hassle just to put it up. On the other hand, TRX bands can set up on doors or poles, but again I don’t know very many people who are 7 feet tall to help me put up my TRX band.
TRX versus CrossFit
We have all heard of the new workout craves like Insanity, Bowflex, Treadclimber, and P90X and I am sure that everyone has heard of TRX and CrossFit. Since my last post It’s Official! I’m TRX Certified I thought it would a great challenge to break down two workout programs and define what they really are.
CrossFit is a fitness program that consists of functional training at high intensity levels. The need for CrossFit is designed for a particular population of people states founder and CEO Jeff Glassman: “This fitness is demanded by military and police personnel, firefighters, and many sports requiring total or complete physical prowess. CrossFit has proven effective in these arenas.” CrossFit is an excellent program for athletes and military personnel. Recently, CrossFit has expanded the ‘box’ (box is CrossFit lingo for an affiliated gym) to people seeking to lose weight, gain muscle, slim down, and tone up. CrossFit and their trainers are getting smarter by building their fitness empire by allowing the public to join in on exclusive WODS (workouts of the day).
Problem: CrossFit is not meant for the typical fitness goer! I have done a lot of research on this topic and ran into many fitness blogs that oppose and commend CrossFit for its outstanding results. I also enjoy CrossFit and I think that it is a great workout even for the typical gym rat, yet there are a few things that bug me about the crossfit philosophy that I will discuss in detail in Post 2: CrossFit vs TRX.
Problem: CrossFit is not meant for the typical fitness goer! I have done a lot of research on this topic and ran into many fitness blogs that oppose and commend CrossFit for its outstanding results. I also enjoy CrossFit and I think that it is a great workout even for the typical gym rat, yet there are a few things that bug me about the crossfit philosophy that I will discuss in detail in Post 2: CrossFit vs TRX.
On the other hand there is TRX. The philosophy of TRX is emphasizing on working out the body through a kinetic chain of muscles. In other words, your muscles are moving together as a whole rather than just moving one muscle in your entire body to do work. The company uses a pen to demonstrate their philosophy at trxtraining.com: “Try to pick up a pen off the floor using just your hand. It's impossible. Even simple movements simultaneously engage the legs, core, shoulders, arms, and neck.” In summary, TRX urges all levels of fitness goers to stand up and move through various planes of motion-- to move the body in unity rather than moving muscles.
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